Combined post-office dater



(No Model.)

J.' T. ARGO.

4CGI/IEIIIED POST OIIIGE DATEE, GANGELEE, AND REGISTER.

Patented May 1, 1888.

E-IMH..

' UNITEDA STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN rr. ARGO, OF POINDEXTER, KENTUCKY.

COMBINED POST-OFFICE DATER, oANoELER, AND REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 381.976. dated May 1,1888- Application tiled October 12, 1887. Serial No. 252.158. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. ARGO, a citizen of the United States,residing at Poiiidexter, in the county of Harrison and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CombinedPost-OiiceDater, Canceler, and Register; and I do declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters and `1igures of reference marked thereon, which forni a partof this specification.

This invention relates to a combined postolice dater, stanipcanceler,and register, and has for its object the production of a simple andcompact device for dating letters, canceling stamps, and registering thetotal number of each kind of stamps canceled.

The stamp is provided with a series of registering-Wheels which areindependent of each other and have a separate actuatingpawl for eachwheel, which is held out of engagement with the registering-wheelnormally and is thrown in contact with a registering-wheel to operate itby a push-button, a separate pusha butt-on being provided for each pawland each button corresponding to a denomination of stamps to becanceled, whereby the total number of stamps canceled of anydenomination may be independently registered.

The improvement consists in the novel and peculiarconstructionandarrangementof parts, which will be more fully hereinafter set forth,claimed, and shown in the annexed drawings, in which- Figure l is aperspective View, parts being broken away, my invention. Fig. 2 is aside View, looking at the side hidden from view in Fig. 1, parts beingbroken away, of the stamp; Fig. 3, a section on the line X X of Fig. 1;Fig. 4, a bottom plan view of the stamp having the ribbon broken away;Fig. 5, a detail view of the registering-wheels and the upper portion ofthe standard carried by the yielding frame and the pawls foroperatingthe registering wheels. Fig. 6 is a detail view of a portion ofthe stem of a push-button and a section of the frame, showing the meansthat connect the push-button with the said frame on anenlarged scale.

of a stamp-canceler embodying- The frame of the stamp is composed of theside plates, A, the cross-bar B, having the handle C, and the middleplate', D. The in ner corners of the side plates are removed andundercut to receive the standards E, which have their edgescorrespondingly undercut to fit against the shoulders e, formed byremoving said corners of the side plates. The side plates arestrengthened by flanges a, which.

-frame H, which is fitted thereto and has a lim- 1 This frame H is se-lited movement thereon. cured to the lower ends of the standards .E andis held projected normally by the spring h, placed between the middleplate, D, and the cross-tie e', uniting the standards E.

The dating-wheels I I 12 are journaled on a common shaft passed throughthe side plates, A, and they extend on each side of the frame andproject through openings e2 in the standards'E, to be readily grasped bythe fingers for rotating them when it is desired to adjust them. vThewheel I carries the type indicating the year, the Wheel I thc day of themonth,

vided with the office-stamp, is apertured near its center to permit thedating-wheels to project through a sufficient distance to have theirtype iiush with the type-surface of the officestamp.

The registering-wheels K K K2 K3, `having ratchet-wheels k k lo k3secured to their sides, respectively, are mounted on the shaft j, heldat its ends in the side plates, A, and they are held against backwardmovement by the de- .85 and the wheel 12 the month. The plate J,protent-pawls Z, formed on the plate L, restingon the middle plate, D,and engaging with said ratchet-wheels 7c k', &c.

The actuating-pawls m, carried by one of the IOC standards E and formedof the plate M, se-

cured to said standard, are connected with push-buttons N by theextended or cut-away portions m', which are passed through the eye Iformed in the end of each stem n of said buttons. The stems n extendthrough the capplate O, which closes in one side of the frame oppositethe registering-wheels, and are held in place by pins g, projectingthrough slots n in the stems. The coil-springs n2, surrounding the stemsand held between the cap-plate and the push-button, hold thepush-buttons projected and keep the actuating-pawls out of engagementwith the ratchet-wheels 7c k', Snc. The push-buttons are numbered tocorrespond with the relative position of the regulatingwheels.

The side ofthe frame opposite that closed in by the cap-plate O isclosed by the slide P, which has sight-holesp opposite theregistering-wheels for viewing the numbers on the said wheels. Thesesight-holes are designated by numbers which correspond with thedenon1ination of the stamp to be canceled. Each registering-wheel is forregistering the number of a particular denomination of stamp canceledand is operated independently of any of'the other wheels.

The actuating-pawls are normally held out of engagement with theratchet-wheels of the registering-wheels by the springs ai on the stemsof the push-buttons. Now, to cancel a stamp and at the same timeregister it the push-button corresponding with the denomination of thestamp to be canceled is pushed in. This brings the actuating-paw] inengagement with the ratchet-wheel of the registeringwheel. A downwardpressure on the handle Cbrings the type upon thelatter to be stamped,and at the same time effects an upward movement of the frame H andstandard E, carrying the actuating-pawl, which, engaging with saidratchet, moves the registering-wheel forward one step. The number ofeach kind of stamp canceled can be readily seen through the sightholesp.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

l. The combination, with the hand canceling-stamp and a series ofindependent registering-wheels, of the yielding frame and the series ofindependent actuating-pawls connected with said frame, one pawl beingprovided for each registering-wheel,substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

2. The combination,with the stamp and the series of independentregistering-wheels having ratchet-wheels secured to their sides,of theyielding frame and the corresponding series of independentactuating-pawls connected with the frame and adapted to engage withsaidratchet-wheels, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the stamp, the registering-wheels havingratchet-wheels, and the actuating-pawls, ofthe yielding frame connectedwith said pawls and the push-buttons adapted to be pressed upon forprojecting the actuating-pawls within the path of said ratch ct-wheels,substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the stamp, the

registering-wheels having ratchet-wheels, and the actuating-pawlsconnected with a yielding frame,of thepush-buttons having slotted stemsand the pins passing through said slots in the stems of the push-buttonsfor limiting their movements, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the stamp, the registering-wheels havingratchetwheels, and the actuating-pawls adapted to engage with saidratchet-wheels and having the extended portion m', of thepush-buttons'connected with said extended portions m of theactuatingpawls, substantially as land for the purpose described.

6. The combination,with the stamp, the independent registering-wheels,and the actuating-pawls, of the push-buttons connected with the pawlsand the springs for normally holding the push-buttons projected andholding the pawls out of the path of the ratchetwheels, substantially asset forth.

7. The combination, with the frame of the stamp, composed of the sideplates, cross-bar, handle, and middle plate, the registering mechanismlocated between the cross-bar and middle plate, andthe actuating-pawls,of the frame H, the standards E, one ot' said standards carrying theactuating-pawls, the cross-tie e', and t-he spring interposed betweenthe crosstie and said middle plate, substantially as set forth, for

.the purpose specitied.

8. rihe combination,with the side plates, A, ofthe frame, theregistering mechanism, and the dating-wheels mounted on a shaftsupported between the side plates, of the standards E, having openingsthrough which the dating-wheels extend, the actuating-pawls carried byone of the standards, and the frame H, substantially as specified.

9. The combination,with the stamp, the series of independentregistering-wheels having ratchet-wheels, the independent detent-pawlscarried bya common plate, and the actuatingpawls connected with a platecommon to all, of the standards `and the frame H, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

10. The hereindescribed combined postofice dater, stampeanceler, andregister, composed of side plates having flanges a and lugs a', thecross-bar B, the handle C, the middle plate, D, the independentregistering-wheels having ratchet-wheels, the detent-pawls, theactuating-pawls, the push-buttons connected with the actuating-pawls,the springs n, the standards having openings, the frame H, the springfor projecting the frame, the rollers F, the ink-ribbon, thedating-wheels, and the plate J`, carrying the office-stamp,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN T. ARGO.

Witnesses:

Unas. T. Winsen, S. S. Witimtius.

